Flight Plan
by Dr.A.Robbins
Summary: With the merger looming and her boards around the corner, Callie's life feels out of her control. Will a chance meeting with a gorgeous, blonde haired, blue-eyed flight attendant change everything? Calzona. AU. [Grey's Anatomy belongs to Shonda Rhimes and ABC]
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first attempt at an AU Calzona story. I'm trying to get as much written beforehand as possible so that my updates aren't too sporadic! **

**I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

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Chapter 1

A loud knock pulled Teddy Altman from sleep, and she squinted against the light seeping into the room as she struggled to find her phone. 6am. The knocking at the door grew more incessant by the minute, until Teddy had no alternative but to climb out of her warm cocoon and open the door.  
"Morning!" Arizona Robbins stood at the door, a dimpled smile in place and a cup of coffee in each hand. Thrusting one towards her best friend, she pushed her way through the door.  
"Tell me I didn't wake you up? We need to be at the airport in thirty minutes for our induction tour!"

Teddy took the steaming cup of goodness and brought it to her lips.  
"I was just about to get up. I don't take quite as long to get ready as _you_ do." She winked.

Arizona smirked. She knew when she became a flight attendant that being well groomed was an essential part of the job. Now, since her promotion to supervisor, or Senior Purser, she took every aspect of her role that much more seriously. Her mid-length blonde hair was tied back into a neat bun, her bangs swept elegantly to the side and fixed with about half a can of hairspray. Her make-up was perfectly applied, and pearl studs were fixed to her earlobes. The elegant black uniform hugged her every curve perfectly, embellished by gold trimmed cuffs and lapels.

"Well, you guys _do_ have a slightly more important job than we do!" Arizona called as Teddy disappeared into the bathroom. Whilst her friend was getting ready, the blonde scrolled through the recent emails on her phone, noting the exact time and place that they had to convene with the airport staff. She quickly sent a few gentle reminders to the other crew, and was happy to receive instant replies to say that they were on their way. First impressions were so important in this industry. Not ten minutes later Teddy reemerged, tying her hair up in a lose ponytail and knocking back the rest of the coffee in her cup. Her shirt boasted black shoulder pads with gold stripes, signaling her position as Captain.

"Ok, let's go do this."

* * *

"Seatac airport is thrilled to welcome Éclat Airline; and my team are here to make your transition as smooth as it can possibly be. Éclat's fleet will be housed primarily near Concourse A…"

Arizona tried very hard to listen to Henry Burton as he explained what the arrival of their airline to SeaTac meant. It meant greater revenue and passenger numbers for the airport, as Éclat had very quickly become one of the world's most prestigious airlines with airports worldwide hungry to offer as many of their routes as possible. Her attention, however, was waning as it became clear that this meeting was threatening to take the entire day. The crew had already been escorted firstly, and most importantly, to collect their SeaTac ID cards, before being shown to their crew headquarters where briefings would be held before flights. After a coffee break, they had been driven to one of the hangers to see the Éclat fleet that had been flown to SeaTac by Teddy, Owen Hunt and their other pilots. Now they were being given a tour through the main terminal in small clusters, familiarizing themselves with the large airport.

"Check out Drooly Altman." Meredith Grey whispered into Arizona's ear. Meredith and her younger sister Lexie had joined the airline only a year ago, but Arizona had been thrilled when they too had chosen to relocate from New York to Seattle. Arizona peered over Owen's shoulder to watch Teddy, who appeared to be hanging on Henry's every word. Every boring word. Arizona chuckled as she shared a knowing look with the Grey sisters. Altman had it bad.

* * *

"I do not!" Teddy huffed as she dragged another box across the floor.  
"You do too! You were hanging on his every word, Teds. Those were very boring words to be hanging onto. His face on the other hand? Very pretty." Arizona winked, taking the box from Teddy and opening it.

Teddy and Arizona had shared an apartment in New York, and they saw no harm in continuing the tradition in Seattle. They had found a beautiful, spacious penthouse apartment just on the outskirts of the city centre, boasting two very large bedrooms, a gorgeous open plan kitchen and living room, and breathtaking views of the Seattle skyline. Since they both had a few days off before jumping right back in to their crazy schedules, they were utilizing the time to unpack.

"You think?" Teddy asked, smiling shyly.  
"Uh, I'm gay, not blind. He's cute." Arizona confirmed, lifting the kitchen appliances from their box and setting them on the countertop.  
"I guess. I don't know how much of him I'll see, though."

"Oh the way he wants to check if we're all settling in? I think you'll see _plenty_ of him." The flight attendant winked. "Besides, he gave us all his card, with his _personal_ cell number on it."

Teddy rolled her eyes, unpacking a box full of mugs and plates.  
"That's to make sure we're ok, or if we need anything."

Arizona giggled, bumping her hip to Teddy's as she moved past her.  
"Then call him up for a date!"

"You are incorrigible, Robbins. I'm going to set you up with a nice lesbian lady-pilot, maybe then you'll get off my back!" The pilot joked. Glancing over to her best friend, she realized her humor had fallen flat.  
"Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry…"

Arizona shook her head, forcing a small smile onto her face for the sake of her friend.  
"Don't. It's ok. Just…no setting me up, alright?"

Teddy nodded, squeezing Arizona's bicep.  
"Alright."

A few moments of silence passed between the friends, before Arizona gave a genuine smile this time.  
"I saw a liquor store down the street, close to Seattle Grace Hospital. How about we get some wine to help with this unpacking?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for the response to the first chapter - I'm uploading this one because I feel some Callie is needed, but the next update won't be quite so speedy! **

**I hope you all enjoy :)**

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Callie Torres slammed the door of the cab shut as she waited for the driver to load her luggage into the trunk. She bit down on her lip softly, trying in vain to stop the huge tears that welled in her eyes. She balled her fists, taking long, deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself.

"Where to?" The driver asked as he buckled up.  
"The airport." Callie choked out, glancing back one final time as the cab pulled out of the lavish driveway behind her. Her cell phone indicated that it was a little after 5am, and as the sun began its journey into the sky, the brunette hoped that no one would realize that she was gone until it was too late.

"_It's an abomination! It's an eternity in hell!"_

Callie squeezed her eyes shut, willing her father's words to stop screaming in her ears. Although Erica had disappeared without saying goodbye, the brunette had naively thought that she could seek solace from her family. She had known that the Torres' Catholic beliefs were strong, but she hadn't been expecting an ambush when she had decided to tell them.

"_You'll stay here at home with us, mija. I'll speak with your Chief in the morning and we'll sort this whole mess out You'll finish your residency and take your boards here in Miami."_

After her father had left the room, the ortho resident sent an urgent email to Chief Webber, begging him to ignore any attempts of communication from Carlos Torres. Moving swiftly to pack her things, Callie wasted no time in booking a flight back to Seattle; waiting until the early hours to leave the house undetected.

Her family's refusal to accept her bisexuality was painful enough to endure, but it was clear that it was something her father thought he could fix by throwing large sums of money at the right people. After leaving a note of apology for her sister, Aria, the only member of her family who had _tried_ to understand, Callie slipped out.

The ringing of her cell phone jolted her from her thoughts. She almost ignored the call, figuring it to be her father already, but when she saw _Mark Sloan_ flash across the screen, she answered it willingly.  
"God am I glad to talk to you." She breathed, wiping a stray tear from her cheek.

"_What happened?"_

Callie chuckled ruefully.  
"Let's just say it was a bad idea, and we'll just add it to the list of monumentally stupid ideas that I've had recently."

"_Cal…" _Mark began.

"No, it was an unbelievably stupid idea. They practically attacked me, yelling that it was an abomination and that I'd be going to hell. Then my dad tells me he's pulling me from my residency and making me stay in Miami."

"_I'm sorry Callie. I'm guessing by the voice mail you left me that you're catching the first flight back?"_

"You bet." Callie sighed, rubbing tiredly at her eyes. "I've sent an email to Webber giving him a head's up about my dad. Could you make sure he gets it?"

She heard Mark sigh over the phone.  
_"I'll try. Richard's been acting really oddly the past few days. Derek keeps trying to get him to tell us what's up, but he won't budge. Do you want me to pick you up at SeaTac?"_

Callie smiled for the first time in days. As sex-hungry and whorish as Mark Sloan came across to most people, he was truly the best and most loyal friend that Callie Torres had.  
"Please, Mark. That would be amazing. I'll let you know when I'm due to land."

"_Alright Cal. I've got a bottle of tequila with our name on it tonight. Have a good flight."_

After thanking him, the resident popped her phone back into her pocket, digging into her wallet to pay the cab driver as he pulled up to the airport. Thrusting some notes into his hand, she stepped out of the car and opened the trunk, lifting her small case onto the sidewalk and wheeling it into the terminal and towards the departure desks.

Once through airport security, Callie had some time to kill before her flight back to Seattle. Deciding she'd been through the ringer in the past few days, hell, the past few weeks, she chose to indulge in a champagne breakfast at one of the airport's most picturesque spots. Pulling a medical textbook from her carry-on bag, she flipped to an earmarked page and began to study.

* * *

Callie looked up as her phone rang a short while later. Checking quickly before answering, she realized it was time to head to her gate and board the flight.  
"Hey, Mark. I'm just about to get on the plane, what's up?"

"_I just spoke to Richard."_

Callie rolled her eyes, assuming that her very stubborn father had gotten to the chief already.  
"If it's about my dad, it can wait until I've had a few shots of that tequila."

"_It's not about your Dad, Cal. It's about the hospital. Webber finally came out of hiding and told us we're merging with Mercy West. He basically said he won't know how many of us will have jobs next week."_

The news took the breath from Callie's lungs, leaving her feeling light-headed. She had heard from other hospital mergers that most cuts were usually made on the resident level, and usually in fields such as Orthopedic Surgery, when patients decided to have treatment in specialist clinics instead of at a hospital. She was so close to taking her medical boards, so close to becoming a board certified Orthopedic Surgeon, and suddenly, the door could easily be slammed in her face.

"_Cal? Are you ok?"_

"Yeah...fan-freaking-tastic" The resident sighed, running a hand through her hair.  
"I'll just…I'll see you at the airport, Mark. Thanks."

Dropping her head into her hands, Callie took a breath to try to calm herself. Maybe her dad was right. Maybe she should finish her residency in Miami, where she would be guaranteed to take her Boards. _No._ Dr. Chang's department would have crumbled years ago without Dr. Torres, and Webber and every other surgeon at Seattle Grace was aware of that. She deserved to be there. She deserved to have a job to go back to.

Her anxiety was interrupted by an announcement at a nearby gate.

"_Good morning ladies and gentleman. This is a boarding call for all passengers traveling on Éclat service to Seattle. Please have your boarding cards ready for inspection at gate A5."_

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**Please review :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Gosh, the response to this story has been overwhelming, and I'm so grateful. Like I said, I hope to keep a few chapters ahead of myself so that my updates will be fairly frequent, so here's hoping. Please enjoy and let me know what you think.**

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Previously_: "Good morning ladies and gentleman. This is a boarding call for all passengers traveling on Éclat service to Seattle. Please have your boarding cards ready for inspection at gate A5."_

Chapter 3

"I'm so happy they're easing us back into this." Teddy smiled, slipping from the flight deck and into the front galley with her travel mug. As she moved to fill it, Arizona swatted at her hand, taking the cup herself.  
"My galley."

Teddy chuckled.  
"I know how to fly this thing, Robbins. I think I'm capable of re-filling my coffee cup."

"Oh sure, says the lady who nearly set the plane on fire when she tried to re-heat her take-out. I don't touch any buttons in the flight deck, you don't touch any in the galley." Arizona warned, filling Teddy's cup to the top and replacing the lid as Teddy rolled her eyes.  
"That was one time…"

"Mhm…" Arizona cocked her eyebrow, handing the cup back to the pilot.  
"You're right though. I'm so glad they put us on a domestic route. American hotels are always far easier to check into than some of other ones. Like Paris…"

"Amen to that." Teddy sipped her fresh coffee as they awaited the arrival of the passengers.  
"How many are we expecting?"  
"Dispatcher said 98, two infants and a wheelchair." Arizona replied, glancing at her paperwork.  
"Nice and easy for you guys then. Is the wheelchair walk on or lift on?"  
"Lift, I think, but I'll check when the dispatcher comes back."

Teddy smiled, bumping elbows with Arizona before returning to the flight deck.  
"Send him my way."

Arizona nodded, pointing the dispatcher into the flight deck as he returned. Ground staff indicated that the passengers were waiting as Meredith Grey returned from the back.  
"We're ready to board, Mer. Can you check the boarding cards whilst I finish off this paperwork?"

Meredith nodded, smiling at the first passenger.  
"Welcome aboard."

* * *

With boarding nearly complete and her paperwork finished for now, Arizona stepped into the front bathroom for one final check of her appearance. After applying a little more lip gloss she returned, just as Meredith was checking the boarding card of one of their final passengers.

The woman was beautiful; either of Spanish or Cuban decent, Arizona couldn't be sure. Her tall, perfectly curved body was clad in a pair of dark jeans and a top that exhibited her cleavage perfectly. She carried a leather jacket on her arm, and barely looked up when Meredith pointed her towards her seat. In the next moment she was gone, leaving Arizona to only stare after her. Meredith gave the ground crew the thumbs up before letting the dispatcher disembark. Smiling at Arizona, she closed the main door.  
"Saw something you like?"

"Huh?"

"The hot, bad-ass Latina chick. I saw you drooling…" Meredith smirked. It was not often she caught the Senior Purser at a loss for words, so she enjoyed poking fun.

"Oh behave, Grey." Arizona rolled her eyes before taking the interphone from the wall.  
"Cabin crew, arm doors and cross-check."

* * *

Callie settled back into her seat, thankful that the plane was far from full. She chose the aisle, placing her bag on the window seat and attempting to get comfortable for the next six hours. Placing her headphones into her ears, she kept her music low enough that she would be able to sleep, but loud enough to block out the sounds of the people around her. She watched out of the window as the plane turned onto the runway, before the engines powered up. Moments later, they were airborne, drifting through the clouds and heading far away from Miami.

* * *

"So two hours?"  
"Two hours. Hey, Meredith mentioned there's a pretty hot gal in seat 10B you've been eyeing up." Teddy smiled, picturing the look of shock on her best friend's face back in the cabin.  
"I'm going to kill her. I'm going to kill her and make it look like an accident." Arizona grumbled into the phone, narrowing her eyes in Meredith's direction. Grey simply winked in return.

"Well do it after we land. I don't want any extra paperwork."  
"Fine." Arizona huffed. "I'll call you soon."  
"Later."

As Meredith approached the front galley, she gestured back to the passengers.  
"Hot stuff in 10B is finally awake, and asked for a drink. I have to go to the bathroom."

Arizona was beyond sure that the younger crewmember was lying; Grey often proclaimed to be able to go an entire flight without a pee break, but she disappeared into the toilet nonetheless, leaving Arizona to get 10B her drink. She took a deep breath, straightening out her outfit before heading down the cabin. The Latina had her nose buried in what looked like a medical textbook.  
"Interesting reading. My colleague said you'd like a drink. Can I get you some tea or some coffee?"

"Could you get me some red wine?" The brunette asked tiredly, barely glancing up from her notes. Arizona grimaced. Red wine at 11am was only ordered by passengers having an exceedingly crappy day, and the thought of such a beautiful woman having said crappy day made Arizona more than a little glum.  
"Sure. I'll be back in a second."

Callie glanced at her watch, happy that in two hours she would be back on solid ground and hopefully heading to Joe's with Mark, but for now, she'd have to settle with some wine. She looked up as she heard the click-clack of the flight attendant's shoes approaching her again, and for the first time, she actually noticed the woman standing before her.

She was beautiful. So beautiful that Callie would have thought so before she realized her interest in women. Her hair was elegantly swept off her face and her make-up was flawless. Her black uniform hugged her every curve perfectly, and when she smiled she had a killer set of dimples. Her cerulean eyes sparkled, concentrating on pouring the glass and setting it gently on the meal tray.  
"Is there anything else I can get for you?" She asked, smiling softly.

Callie swallowed, her fingers tracing the rim of plastic cup.  
"No, thank you."

Arizona chewed thoughtfully on her lip before kneeling down to Callie's level.  
"I know it's none of my business, but you look upset, and I just want you to know that whatever it is, I'm sorry. If you need an ear, I'll be right up front, ok?"

Just as quickly as the blonde had kneeled down, she was gone, leaving a very confused Callie clutching her cup of wine. A stranger, a freaking beautiful stranger, no less, had just tried to cheer her up. Callie watched as she arrived at the front of the cabin, her dimples popping again as she flashed another supportive smile.

Downing the miniature bottle of wine in record time, Callie attempted to spend the remainder of the flight studying, but her attention was constantly being pulled back to the flight attendant. She watched as she talked to her colleague, as she picked up the interphone to call, Callie could only assume, the pilots. She was mesmerized.

* * *

An exhausted Arizona was very grateful when the plane touched down at SeaTac. After being given a week off to move from New York, getting back into the rhythm of things wasn't proving as easy for the crew as they had anticipated, and they were all dreaming about their beds. As Teddy gave the command, the doors were disarmed and the air-bridge was extended. She opened the door to the flight deck as the passengers were getting ready to disembark.  
"Wine, take-out and whatever we find on TV tonight." Said the pilot, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn.

Arizona nodded in agreement, willing her tired face into a genuine smile as they bid goodbye to their passengers. Soon, Arizona noticed 10B gather her belongings, her leather jacket now donned in preparation for the chilly Seattle weather.  
"Is that her?" Teddy whispered discreetly. Arizona only nodded, captivated by the gorgeous Latina.

As she approached the door, Callie stopped, flashing a smile at Arizona.  
"Thank you."

She extended her hand towards Arizona, depositing a piece of paper in her surprised hands as she disembarked.

Arizona stood in shock, watching as the woman disappeared from view.

"What does it say, Arizona?" Teddy nudged once all passengers had disembarked. Arizona carefully unfolded the notepaper to reveal the Latina's elegant scrawl.

_You're right. I was upset, but then a kind, beautiful flight attendant turned my day around. You didn't have to but I'm grateful that you did. I'd like very much to thank you again. In person. Maybe over drinks?_

_Callie T._

Callie's cell number was written under her name. Teddy grinned.

"Way to go, Robbins."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sorry for the slight wait with this chapter - just wanted to make sure I have a few more in the bag - I'm [possibly] up for a promotion at work, basically to do the exact job that our Arizona does. Keep your fingers crossed for me? :)**

* * *

Previously: _You're right. I was upset, but then a kind, beautiful flight attendant turned my day around. You didn't have to but I'm grateful that you did. I'd like very much to thank you again. In person. Maybe over drinks?_

_Callie T._

Callie's cell number was written under her name. Teddy grinned.

"Way to go, Robbins."

**Chapter 4**

"Would you _please_ just drop it?" Arizona grumbled, pushing her empty take-out box away from her. As planned, the flight attendant and pilot had left the airport and made two pit stops before heading home; one to get wine, and one to get take-out.

Teddy pouted.  
"But she was hot. Like, even straighter than straight me over here thought she was hot. You two would be _super_ hot together!"

Arizona giggled, refilling her glass of wine, and moving the bottle from Teddy.  
"I'm cutting you off. Wait, did you just call me hot?"

"Of course you're hot. I'm hot. Callie is hot. Everybody is hot."

Arizona smirked at her best friend's tipsy ramblings.  
"Even Henry?"

The pilot blushed at the mention of his name.  
"Arizona…"

"If you call _him_, I _might_ call her."

Teddy sighed dramatically.  
"How did I not see that ultimatum coming?"

The shorter woman smiled softly, taking Teddy's food carton and picking at her leftover veggies.  
"I'm sure Callie's great. I'm just not sure that I'm ready. Not yet."

Teddy turned to face her friend properly, a supportive hand resting on her arm.  
"I know, sweetie. But you _won't_ know until you try. I know it's scary, but you can't sit in here alone and just wait to be over it. That's not how it works. You have to get back out there and try. Not all girls are dicks like Joanne was."

Arizona nodded. She knew Teddy was telling the truth, but her ex-girlfriend's actions still stung. Joanne had worked on the check-in desks at New York JFK airport, and it had been lust at first sight for both women. A couple of months later, they had decided to make their relationship official, and Arizona was as happy as she had ever been. A year after they started dating, she suggested that they move in together. Joanne had seemed so excited that she immediately began looking at apartments for them both, but when the time came to move in, she disappeared. She had left a note at Arizona's apartment that said only three words.

_I can't. Sorry._

Arizona wasn't able to track her down. Colleagues at work said she had resigned; and every phone call went unanswered, until one day Arizona simply stopped trying. The Seattle transfer had been announced only a month later, and she had jumped at the opportunity, knowing she needed a fresh start.

"Going for a drink wouldn't hurt." Teddy suggested, pulling Arizona from her thoughts.

"Yeah. Maybe."

* * *

"Seriously, what is _wrong _with me? I think I'm defective; we need to get Derek to run some tests, I swear I've got a brain tumor Mark. I swear."

Mark chuckled as Callie rambled, only taking a pause to down another tequila shot. As soon as it was empty, Joe refilled it.  
"You've not got a tumor, Cal."  
"I do, Mark. What else would explain the sheer stupidity of my decisions recently? _Erica? _Coming out to my super-Catholic parents? Oh and my latest and favorite embarrassment, hitting on a probably very straight flight attendant who just happened to take the time to be nice to me. I've _lost_ it!"

"Who says she's straight?" Mark argued.  
"With my luck?" Callie raised her eyebrows, glaring incredulously at her best friend.

"She's got a point there, Sloan." Miranda Bailey muttered, taking one of Callie's shots and downing it herself. Callie nodded in agreement, gesturing toward her fellow resident.

"You're not helping." Mark said as he shook his head. Miranda was unfazed.  
"I'm not trying to help. Unless you've forgotten, Torres and I have more important things to worry about than our marriages or love lives. We may be out of a job before we can even become real surgeons!" With that, the small woman took another shot.

"She's right." Callie frowned at Mark.  
"She's totally right. Here I am worrying about what some flight attendant thinks of me, I'm probably never going to lay eyes on the woman again, and what I really need to freak out about is the merger!"

"And your boards." Miranda added, trying to get Joe's attention for more tequila.  
"One large problem at a time, Bailey." Mark suggested, patting Callie's back as the brunette slumped her head into her hands.

"I've got to go home." Callie murmured into her hands.  
"Back to Miami?"  
"No, Mark. Home, home. My apartment, home. I need to study. And freak out about getting fired. And maybe study some more. I'm no fun here anyway."

Mark smiled suggestively, handing Callie one last shot.  
"Well I could come with you. Or you could come with me. We could have a _little_ fun before your freak out."

"Is sex all you honestly ever think about?" Dr. Bailey asked, gathering her coat and scarf.  
"And surgery." Mark defended as she resident shook her head.  
"Nasty…"

After watching Bailey leave, Mark turned his attention back to Callie.  
"So, what do you say, kid?"

The brunette smiled, looking into her shot glass and shrugging.  
"What the hell." She downed the liquid, savoring the burn in her throat as she gathered her belongings. Mark's hand snaked around her waist, guiding her out and into a cab.

As they rode the short distance to his place, he patted her arm.  
"Let's forget about everything tonight. Your douche-bag parents, the merger, your boards…let's just have fun, ok? That crap will still be there in the morning."

Callie chuckled, resting her head tiredly on Mark's shoulder.  
"Do you still have that bottle of tequila you mentioned earlier?"  
"Of course, Cal. Of course."

* * *

Even after consuming too much tequila and indulging in some fantastic feel-good sex with her best friend, Callie was still having trouble shutting her brain off. Her body was exhausted, and she envied the sleeping man next to her. She turned away from him, pulling the sheets closer to her body as she willed her over stimulated brain to give into sleep. As she listened to Mark's calm, even breathing, she finally felt herself slip into the peaceful darkness. As she teetered somewhere between awake and asleep, she heard the buzzing of her phone. Opening her eyes and squinting against the offending light on the screen, Callie had to read the message three times before her brain could absorb it.

_I couldn't let a gorgeous woman sit there on my flight looking obviously upset and not do something about it. There's no need to thank me, but I'd love to take you up on that offer of a drink._

_My name is Arizona._


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Sorry for the slight delay with this one, my parents are visiting, I was celebrating my birthday, and I'm STILL waiting to hear about this promotion - thanks for all the messages of good luck!**

**In the spirit of good luck, here's a longer chapter for you guys. Enjoy, and please review :)**

* * *

Previously:

_I couldn't let a gorgeous woman sit there on my flight looking obviously upset and not do something about it. There's no need to thank me, but I'd love to take you up on that offer of a drink._

_My name is Arizona. _

* * *

Arizona Robbins paced the open plan living area of the apartment that she shared with her best friend. Teddy had gone to bed a while ago, and having an early flight in the morning, Arizona didn't want to wake her. The blonde held her phone in her hand as she paced, although she didn't know what she was waiting for. She had sent an impulsive text to Callie, and as it was almost 1am, she was highly unlikely to receive a reply until morning. Still, she paced.

She briefly thought about going to bed, but since her next flight wasn't until the next evening, she wanted to hold off on sleep as long as possible in the hopes that she would sleep through until afternoon.

She opened the fridge, eyeing its meager contents before plucking out some yoghurt. After opening half a dozen drawers, she finally remembered where Teddy had chosen to house the cutlery. She cuddled up on the sofa and pulled a blanket around herself before flicking on the TV and making sure the volume was low enough not to disturb Teddy.

* * *

Staring at her phone in disbelief, Callie climbed quietly from her bed and made her way to her bathroom, wrapping a sheet around her exposed body. One part of her brain was screaming at her to wake Mark up and seek his advice, but the other part told her to let him sleep as he had an important surgery in the morning.

As she sat the on the edge of the bathtub, she closed her eyes to think. If Arizona had just sent that text then she was still awake. Does that make it socially acceptable to call someone at nearly 1am? She drummed her nails on the side of the tub as she tried to make a decision. Arizona had called her gorgeous. And she seemed more than willing to go for drinks.

"Screw it." Callie muttered as she hit _call._

* * *

After eight years as a flight attendant, Arizona knew very well that the only things on television after midnight were infomercials, horror movies and porn. Deciding on neither the former nor the latter, she settled in to watch Paranormal Activity. She snuggled closer into the blanket as the screen darkened. Not a moment later, the shrill ringing of her phone made her jump out of her skin.

As she picked the neglected object from the table, her face flushed as she realized the number calling her was the number that she had texted only ten minutes ago. Suddenly nervous, the blonde took a deep, calming breath before answering.

"Hello?"

"_Um hi, it's Callie. I didn't wake you, did I?" _the voice on the other end asked shyly. Arizona bit her lip as she tried to picture the Latina's face.

"No you didn't. I'm glad you called." She answered truthfully. She could swear she heard Callie breathe a sigh of relief through the receiver.  
"_I'm glad I did too." _Callie spoke. Arizona could hear her fiddling with some sort of material that she guessed was a blanket.  
"Calling to cash in on that drink offer?" the blonde asked, reaching for the remote and turning the TV off.

"_You'd like to? Go for drinks I mean?"_

"With you? Of course." Arizona smiled. "I've just moved to Seattle so I don't really know where is what yet. Is there anywhere good nearby?"

"_My friends and I usually hit the same spot. I'm a surgical resident and it's right across from the hospital so it's handy." _The brunette explained.

Surgical resident. That explained the huge book that Callie had with her on the flight. She was a doctor; soon to be a surgeon. Suppressing the insecurity that bubbled in her chest, Arizona smiled softly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Wow, that's impressive. When did you want to go?"

"_I guess. Um work can be a little crazy, but I'm actually free tomorrow night." _

Arizona frowned. It was times like this that she hated the insane hours of her job. Sighing, she spoke into the receiver.  
"I'm on a flight to LA tomorrow evening, and we overnight there, so I won't actually be back in Seattle until the day after tomorrow. Is that ok for you?"

She could hear Callie chuckle on the other end.  
_"Don't worry about it, my days can get pretty messed up too. The day after tomorrow is fine too, but if we get any emergencies in it might not be, so I'll try not to stand you up."_

"Deal." Arizona agreed. "Is it Seattle Grace you work at? I don't live to far from there so I could meet you in the lobby say around 8?"

"_Yeah that's the place. So uh, I'll see you then. Have a good flight tomorrow."_

Arizona beamed.  
"Thanks. I'll see you."

After saying goodbye, Arizona closed the call and sat back, a large smile spreading its way across her face. She was desperate to tell her best friend but she decided to let her sleep. She left a note, knowing she would no doubt still be in bed when the pilot left the next day. As she walked slowly around the apartment and shut off the lights, she took a moment to admire the night skyline, briefly wondering how much of the city stood between herself and Callie.

* * *

Miranda Bailey's morning had been an incredibly long one. She vowed never again to drink with Sloan and Torres, even though the number of tequila shots she had consumed was in reaction to the chief's news about the merger. To top off her morning a patient in the pit had vomited on her. Twice. After her second scrub change she decided to take cover at the nurse's station and finish her charts.  
"Morning Bailey." Callie greeted, her demeanor far from the lonely, upset resident who Mark escorted from Joe's the night before. Looking not the slightest bit hung-over, Miranda noticed that Torres had actually taken the time to fix her hair and apply fresh make-up. This had her attention piqued.

"Is Sloan really _that_ good?" She enquired, flipping her chart closed.

"Huh?" Callie frowned.  
"You look much perkier than you did last night, is all." Miranda explained. A smile of understanding crossed Callie's face and she nodded.

"No, he's not. I mean, he is, but whatever. I spoke to Arizona last night." Callie explained.

Bailey's eyebrows disappeared into her bangs.  
"Arizona? What the hell, girl? Last night we promised to stick together and ride this merger out! You don't even know if we're going to get cut yet and already you're looking for work? In Arizona! Why in the hell would you wanna go there?"

Callie had begun to chuckle mid-way through Bailey's tirade.  
"No, God no, I'm still all in; I want to stay here. Arizona is the name of that flight attendant who I gave my number to."

Distinctly calmer, Miranda made a face.  
"Who on earth calls their child Arizona?"

Callie shrugged. She couldn't care less what the gorgeous blonde's name was, but it would make for a good icebreaker when they met for drinks.

"More importantly, who doesn't _change_ their name after they've been called Arizona?" Bailey demanded as she shook her head.

The ortho resident sighed.  
"Can you just be excited for me? She seems pretty great and we're meeting for drinks tomorrow night."

"Of course, Torres. Have fun."

* * *

Arizona hummed to herself as she applied her make-up in preparation for her trip to Los Angeles. As she brought her mascara wand towards her eye, her phone rang. Smiling, she swiped the screen to answer and put her best friend on speaker.  
"If you'd been half a second later I'd have had a panda eye, Teddy."

The pilot chuckled.  
_"Sorry. I knew you were still sleeping when I left, but I saw your note. I can't believe you called her! I'm so excited for you."_

Arizona couldn't help but smile.  
"I actually texted her, it was her who called me. We're going for drinks tomorrow night when I get back."

"_That's awesome, sweetie. Where is she taking you?"_

"I'm not sure, she said it was a local place that she goes to with her colleagues. She's a surgical resident, Teds." Arizona spoke, biting her lip.

"_So she's got almost as screwed up a schedule as we do?"_ Teddy commented.

"I guess. But she's a doctor, Teddy. Soon to be a _surgeon._"  
_"What's your point, Arizona?"_ Teddy asked.

"What's she going to see in me? What are we going to have in common?" The flight attendant asked, speaking softly. She heard her best friend scoff loudly.

"_She'll see _you_. The sweet, impossibly kind Arizona that I'm beyond proud to call my best friend"_ Teddy soothed, hoping to ease her friend's nerves.

A blush colored Arizona's cheeks.  
"Teddy…"

"_Yeah, I'm awesome and you love me. My cab is pulling up at my hotel, so text me when you get to LA?"_

Arizona laughed. "Sure Teds, enjoy Montreal."

* * *

The gentle breeze provided a welcomed relief from the hot LA sun. Arizona smiled as she watched a family on roller-skates making their way down the promenade. She took a sip of her ice latte as she perched her sunglasses on the top of her head.  
"Why can't it be this warm in Seattle? Lexie grumbled, returning from the restroom.  
"It would be nice, wouldn't it?"

Lexie nodded in agreement, but their conversation was halted as her phone rang. Arizona waited patiently until she ended the call.  
"Well looks like we'll be getting an extra 24 hours of this." She smiled, firing off a quick text message.

"What?" Arizona frowned. Their return flight to Seattle was leaving in five hours.  
"That was Éclat. Our aircraft's radar system is on the fritz so they're cancelling today's flight and we'll fly the passengers back tomorrow."

Normally Arizona would be thrilled at the prospect of another night at any of Éclat's destinations, but now her plans with Callie were ruined. Lexie noticed that her supervisor didn't look quite as excited about the news as she had anticipated. The blonde explained her encounter with the hot Latina, and the younger flight attendant pouted.  
"That sucks! I'm sure she'll understand though, especially if she's a surgical resident. I read somewhere that they can easily work up to a hundred hours a week."

Arizona managed a weak smile at Lexie's vast array of knowledge.  
"I sure hope so. I'm going to go call her."

* * *

Callie sighed as she shoved her phone back into her pocket. Trudging towards the resident's lounge to gather her things, she spied Mark.  
"Hey, you ready for tonight, Torres?" He smiled.  
"What time are you two meeting?"

The resident shook her head glumly.  
"We're not. Not tonight anyway. They've changed her flight so she won't be back until tomorrow now."

Mark's expression was one of understanding. He'd eaten lunch with Callie today and she'd been very optimistic about how tonight was going to turn out. Now it was as if someone had just taken the air out of her.  
"I'm sorry. She's going to call you when she gets back?"

Callie nodded. Arizona had apologized profusely, but Callie had stopped her. Surgeons understood better than anyone never to make concrete plans, so they would just have to wait a little longer.

Callie was ok with that.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: You guys are awesome, I'll say it again and again. I'm thrilled there's this much interest in this story. I'd love to hear what you all think.**

**On the promotion side, sadly I didn't get it :( I'm bummed of course, but some very good friends of mine who have worked there way longer than me got it, so they'll be great! **

**To the guest reviewer who questioned the originality of the story since I had Callie sleep with Mark, I appreciate the comment, but until she meets/is dating Arizona, Callie is basically canon Callie from season 5, so of course I'll have her sleep with Mark, it's totally true to her character. I hope you continue to read anyway :)**

**Ok, I'll shut up now. It's date time.**

* * *

Previously:

_Arizona had apologized profusely, but Callie had stopped her. Surgeons understood better than anyone never to make concrete plans, so they would just have to wait a little longer. _

_Callie was ok with that. _

* * *

Arizona Robbins had never been so happy for her workday to be over. After a quick debrief of her crew, the blonde quickly made her way to the parking lot, sending Callie a text before getting into her car.

_Landed. Still on track to meet you in the hospital lobby at 8. What kind of place is this bar? Fancy? A x_

By the time she arrived back at her apartment she'd received a reply.

_Pretty casual. I'll see you at 8 :) They do food if you're hungry. C x_

Arizona smiled as she read the message before tossing her bags and her phone onto her bed. She changed out of her uniform, hanging it neatly in her closet before making her way to the shower. She wished that Teddy were home. They would always talk before dates; calm each other down and offer clothing advice. Teddy, however, was half way to Bordeaux, France, so Arizona was left to fend for herself.

Deciding that she would eat at Joe's, the flight attendant devoted the rest of her evening to getting ready. She dried her hair, leaving it in soft waves that fell almost to her chest. After much deliberation she chose her favorite pair of jeans and a pair of wedged heels, a white silk blouse and a black blazer.

As Arizona was applying the final touches to her light makeup, her phone buzzed.

_Mer and I are going for drinks tonight, so on the off chance that your date isn't as awesome as she sounds, call us and come hang out. Good luck and have fun! :) Lexie x_

The blonde chuckled, popping her cell into her bag. She highly doubted that she'd need to take the Grey sisters up on their offer, but it was nice to know it was there all the same.

* * *

Callie Torres was practically buzzing with excitement. She couldn't remember ever being so excited for a date before, and she hoped that was a good sign. Stepping into one of the shower cubicles, the resident let the stress of the day wash away. She had scrubbed in on a surgery with the chief and had really been afforded an opportunity to remind him of her talent. All she could do now was hope he took it into consideration.

When she stepped back into the lounge she was met by Cristina.  
"Hey, getting ready for your mile high hookup?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

Callie shook her head as she ran her fingers through her damp hair.  
"I'm pretty sure you can only call it that if it happens at 38,000feet. And besides I've just met her, we're going for drinks."

"At Joe's?" Yang clarified.

"Like I'd tell you." Torres retorted, aware that Cristina might embarrass her if she knew where they were going.

"Just no lesbo sex on the couch. Or on the counter tops." Yang smirked before grabbing her coat.  
"Good luck."

Callie grinned as Cristina disappeared. For all her faults, she was a pretty great friend. She probably wouldn't be interested in hearing how her date had gone, but the fact that she'd wished her luck alone made Callie smile. As she reached into her locker, she removed the clothes she chose to wear tonight. Slipping on her tight black jeans and her flats, she'd chosen a deep emerald green blouse with a plunging neckline. She checked her reflection in the mirror before applying a little more eyeliner and tousling her damp hair with some mousse to make it curl slightly. She took a deep breath as she pulled on her leather jacket. She was ready.

* * *

Hospitals were not a place that Arizona Robbins was overly fond of. From time to time she'd had passengers take ill on a flight and that was nerve-wracking enough without actually being responsible for saving their lives. As she waited for Callie, she watched doctors shoot past her. She briefly wondered how many lives they had saved that day; how many they had lost. No, hospitals were not a place Arizona was fond of.

Soon, a familiar face appeared through the sea of surgeons and nurses and it made Arizona's stomach flutter nervously. Callie was even more beautiful than the blonde had remembered.  
"Hey, how are you?" Callie greeted, embracing Arizona.

"Good. Great, now. How was your day?" The blonde asked, smiling nervously as she watched Callie's eyes roam her body.  
"Pretty good. How was your flight?"

"Pretty good." Arizona repeated. "I was waiting for the day to be over the whole time though."

Callie grinned.  
"Me too. Joe's is right across the street. Have you eaten? They do the _best_ chicken basket."

"That sounds awesome, I've not eaten since I landed."  
"Alright. Shared chicken basket it is." Callie nodded, reaching her hand and linking it with Arizona's, smiling widely as the blonde squeezed her hand in return.

* * *

As they entered Joe's bar, the bartender smiled.  
"Hey Callie. Is this her?"

Callie nodded.  
"Arizona, this is Joe. He owns this place. Joe, we're going to take a booth, a chicken basket and lots and lots of fries." She smiled, glancing at Arizona.  
"What would you like to drink?"

"A white wine spritzer please."

"And I'll take a rum and coke."

Joe nodded, jotting down their order.  
"I'll bring it over when it's ready."

Callie blushed as Joe winked, leading Arizona over to one of the bar's booths.  
"If it's possible you look even prettier out of your uniform." She told the blonde as they sat with their drinks. A soft blush colored Arizona's cheeks.  
"Thank you."

Callie frowned.  
"Sorry, that sounded vaguely dirty."

Arizona laughed.  
"Well I'd love to see you in your scrubs. I have a feeling you look cute."

Callie rolled her eyes, handing Arizona her hospital ID.  
"You _do_ look cute." She scrunched her nose adorably as she read her full name.  
"Calliope. Is that how you say it?"

Callie shook her head quickly.  
"No. I mean yes, that's how it's said, but no one says it. It's awful!"

"I think it's beautiful. Like you." Arizona replied shyly, handing Callie her ID back. The brunette smiled gratefully, tossing her ID back into her bag.  
"So…Arizona…? State or battleship?"

Callie watched as Arizona's eyes nearly bugged out of her head.  
"Ok you've got to be the first person that's ever asked me that. Battleship." The flight attendant smiled proudly.  
"My grandfather was serving on the Arizona when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He saved nineteen men before he drowned."

The surgeon smiled softly as she listened to Arizona explain the origin of her name. It was clear that she was not only proud of her name, but also exceedingly proud of her grandfather.  
"Sounds like he was a pretty incredible man."

Arizona nodded, taking a sip of her wine.  
"That's what my Dad always told us. What about Calliope? Where did that come from?"

"It's Greek. It means 'beautiful voice', which is ironic because I _cannot_ sing." She giggled.  
"My older sister is called Aria, which is an operatic solo. I think my parents were maybe hoping to have singing stars on their hands…"

Arizona chuckled, running her fingers down the neck of her wine glass.

"What about you?" Callie asked, taking a sip of her drink.  
"Do you have any siblings?"

Arizona's fingers stilled on her glass as a familiar tightness welled in her chest. Before either of them could speak, the shrill and unwelcomed sound of Callie's pager beeped.

"Oh, seriously?!" She growled, reaching into her purse to retrieve it. This allowed Arizona time to collect herself.  
"What is it?"  
"911. Multiple MVC. They need all hands on deck…" the surgeon trailed off, sighing apologetically.  
"This sucks, I'm so sorry."

Arizona smiled softly, waving her hand.  
"No, don't be silly. Go save lives. We'll…pause this. Indefinitely, since I'm guessing this'll take the rest of your night?"

Callie nodded sadly, gathering her things.  
"Paused date sounds good. We'll un-pause tomorrow night?"

Arizona thought momentarily before nodding.  
"Tomorrow night."

Callie reached over the table and squeezed Arizona's hand before leaving. The blonde cursed their hectic and often clashing schedules. As soon as the brunette was out of sight, Joe arrived with their food.  
"She got paged huh? All the more for you I guess."

Arizona chuckled softly, thanking Joe before taking a handful of fries. She decided to take the Grey sisters up on their offer of a relaxing night out, texting them the address of the bar and letting them know there was plenty of food available.

Maybe the night could be salvaged after all.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the delay, I meant to say in my last chapter that I'd be moving house! It took a lot longer than I thought and sucked up most of my free-time, but here's chapter 7. I'm doing what I said I wouldn't with this story, I've not finished chapter 8, so y'all are very lucky that I'm being silly enough to post this now ;)**

Previously:

_Callie reached over the table and squeezed Arizona's hand before leaving. The blonde cursed their hectic and often clashing schedules. As soon as the brunette was out of sight, Joe arrived with their food.  
"She got paged huh? All the more for you I guess."_

_Arizona chuckled softly, thanking Joe before taking a handful of fries. She decided to take the Grey sisters up on their offer of a relaxing night out, texting them the address of the bar and letting them know there was plenty of food available._

_Maybe the night could be salvaged after all._

* * *

Callie threw her jacket to the ground and slammed the door of her apartment. She slumped onto the sofa as tears coursed down her cheeks. It was days like this, days where more people died than lived, that Callie Torres truly hated being a surgeon.

She was lucky; there wasn't as much death to be seen in Orthopedics as there was in Cardio, or Trauma, or a number of other specialties. Usually. Today, however, she had scrubbed in on two unsuccessful surgeries. A married couple, each with severe crush injuries inflicted by the car in front of them. They had six-year-old twin sons, who suffered only minor injuries. Physically. Their anguished wails still assaulted Callie's memory.

* * *

As Arizona arrived home, she sent a quick message to Meredith to alert her that she was home safely, and to thank both her and Lexie for turning her night around.

She tossed her purse onto her bed as she slipped out of her clothes. Tying her hair up in a messy bun and pulling on her favorite pair of pajamas, she climbed into bed. Moments later, her phone rang. Calliope.

"Hey, I was just about to text you." Arizona stated, frowning suddenly when she heard a choked sob on the other end of the phone.  
"Calliope?"

Muffled sobs met her ear.  
"Callie! Are you ok?"

"_I…I'm sorry." _Callie hiccupped, and Arizona could hear her take a few shuddering breaths.  
"What's wrong?" Arizona soothed, suddenly very nervous.  
"Are you hurt?"

Callie sobbed again; the sound more strained this time. It was obvious to the blonde that she was fighting back further tears.  
"_I shouldn't have called yo…you." _She gasped. "_I'm sorry."_

Arizona frowned, readjusting the phone on her ear.  
"Ssshh, you can always call me. Tell me what's wrong."

A beat of silence between the women was followed by muffled sniffles.  
"_I hate this. I hate doing this. I don't think I_ can _anymore."_

The blonde extricated herself from her sheets, quickly digging her Uggs from her closet.  
"Callie, I'm coming over. Tell me your address."

"_No…I…I'm fine. I just…" _her sentence was punctuated by another sob. Arizona picked up the keys to her car and opened the her apartment door.  
"Callie, I'm going to hang up now, and you are going to text me your address, got it?" Her tone left little room for argument.

As she dashed to her car, she received a text from Callie. Her limited knowledge of Seattle meant that she didn't know the exact street, but thankfully it wasn't far. Worry swelled in the pit of her stomach. She had only received a few calls from people as upset as Callie sounded, and the outcomes of those phone calls had never been good. She felt a strange sense of pride though, that Callie had chosen to call her instead of one of her other friends. Pulling up to the apartment building, Arizona jumped from the car and buzzed 502, waiting only seconds before she heard the release on the door.

* * *

Callie wiped at her eyes in a futile gesture, as tears pooled rapidly in her eyes again. She felt like an idiot for calling Arizona. Who calls someone sobbing down the phone after an interrupted first date?

A few minutes after she buzzed the blonde into the building, Callie heard footsteps fast approaching her door, followed by a loud and frantic series of knocks.

As she opened the door Arizona stepped in without invitation. She took Callie's hands in hers and led them to the couch. Concern clouded her features.  
"Talk to me."

She spoke with such concern and conviction that the lump in Callie's throat only grew, momentarily swallowing her words. Looking down, she told Arizona about the accident on the freeway, about the number of casualties, and about her patients in particular. About their orphaned six year olds.

"I had…to…tell them." Callie explained, a sob catching in her throat as she finally looked at Arizona again. Watery blue eyes stared back, her hands still holding tightly to Callie's.

"I can't imagine."

Callie sighed tiredly, wiping at her eyes.  
"I shouldn't have called you. Just…everyone else is still at the hospital."

Arizona shook her head.  
"I mean it, you can always call me."

A silence fell over the women before the blonde spoke again.

"I had a passenger die on my flight once."

Callie's eyes snapped up to Arizona's in shock.

"No."

"He wasn't feeling well. Nauseous. We thought he was just a little air sick. It happens countless times a day. Then his wife started screaming that he wasn't breathing. We rushed him onto the aisle and began CPR, told the pilots to make an emergency landing…but he didn't make it." Arizona explained.

"Cardiac arrest?" The surgeon reasoned.  
Arizona nodded, brushing a lose strand of hair from her face.  
"I took it pretty badly. Like I should have realized sooner…"

The brunette frowned.  
"If he wasn't showing other symptoms -"  
"I know, I know. We're trained to assess a passenger given a certain set of symptoms. There's only so much we can do if the symptoms aren't typical."

Callie sniffed, shaking her head.  
"I didn't even think about people getting sick or dying on a plane. I mean it happens everywhere, but up there you're kinda stuck dealing with it yourself. That's got to be scary."

The blonde nodded.  
"Tell me about it. We thought we'd have to deliver a baby last year!"

"No way!"  
"Yeah, Teddy got us landed quickly though. She's my roommate, and one of our captains."

Callie smiled, filing another nugget of information about the blonde away. She glanced sheepishly around her messy apartment.  
"I live with another surgeon, Cristina. She's like a freaking hurricane, as you can see."

"Evidently." Arizona chuckled, suddenly blushing.  
"I can't talk, I'm a mess!" She gestured towards her haphazardly tied up hair, her Uggs and her cupcake flannel pajamas.

A giggle burst from Callie's mouth.  
"You look adorable. I _adore _the cupcakes. Besides, I guess if you'd not had some hysterical idiot sobbing down the phone to you you'd have put something else on." The brunette blushed.

She watched as dimples appeared on porcelain cheeks, and blue eyes sparkled with kindness.  
"Very true." Arizona teased. "But I'm glad you called."

Callie looked at the blonde in disbelief.  
"You're not going to file this away as your 'worst first date ever' and conveniently lose Crazy Lady's number?"

Arizona laughed, and the sound brought a smile to the surgeon's face.  
"No way. Although I hope our second date doesn't involve so many false starts. Or so many tears. You're much prettier when you're smiling."

A blush colored Callie's cheeks.

"You're really sweet."

The flight attendant winked in reply.  
"Nah, that's just the cupcakes."

* * *

**I'd love to hear your thoughts.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm doing it again; I've not finished chapter 9, but I wrote this one under pressure and it turned out alright. I think! Let's all hold hands through the Calzona Storm that's approaching.**

* * *

Previously:

_Callie looked at the blonde in disbelief.  
"You're not going to file this away as your 'worst first date ever' and conveniently lose Crazy Lady's number?"_

_Arizona laughed, and the sound brought a smile to the surgeon's face.  
"No way. Although I hope our second date doesn't involve so many false starts. Or so many tears. You're much prettier when you're smiling."_

_A blush colored Callie's cheeks._

"_You're really sweet."_

_The flight attendant winked in reply.  
"Nah, that's just the cupcakes."_

**Chapter 8**

Callie was roused from sleep far earlier than she'd have liked by a persistent knocking at her front door.  
"Open up! Open the door, Torres! Open the door, I'll keep knocking and potentially damage my multi-million dollar hands!"

Sighing at his melodramatics, she made her way to the door, opening it just as Mark tried to knock again. His face appraised hers.  
"Oh. You're ok." He smiled, relieved. "You're ok, right?"

The brunette frowned. It was too early in the morning for mind games.  
"Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well Bailey said you looked pretty upset when you left the hospital last night."

Realization settled in Callie's sleep-fuzzy brain.  
"Oh. Yeah. Yeah last night sucked. I tried calling you or Cristina but everyone was still scrubbed in. I couldn't handle it anymore."

Mark set a protective hand onto Callie's shoulder and pulled her into a warm hug.  
"You wanna talk about it now?"

Callie relaxed into his embrace, shaking her head.  
"No, I'm good. Arizona came round actually."

Mark quickly pulled out of their embrace, a cheeky smile playing on his lips.  
"Oh, did I just interrupt something?" He asked, peeking his head into her apartment.  
"No, not like that. We just…talked. She only stayed for an hour or so."

Callie smiled as she remembered how insistent the blonde had been that she could stay, crashing in Cristina's room or on the couch. It had been clear that she didn't want to leave until she had ascertained that Callie really was ok.

"So nothing happened…?" The plastic surgeon asked.  
"Nothing. We just talked. We're having lunch later though."  
"That's great. Be sure to tell me how it goes." Mark replied before checking his watch.  
"I have surgery in twenty, I've got to run."

Callie waved him off, heading back inside her apartment and closing the door. With a few hours to kill before her lunch date with Arizona, the surgeon decided to embark on some all-important studying.

* * *

Arizona navigated her bright red Fiat 500 through the streets of downtown Seattle. Callie had given her the address of the café they were meeting at for lunch, but the blonde was having a hard time finding it. Receiving a text from Callie to say she had arrived, the flight attendant decided to call her.  
"_Hello?"_

"Hi! So I think I'm nearly here. Maybe? I'm a little lost." She admitted, putting the phone on speaker and setting it on the passenger seat.

"Could you come outside and flag me down?"

"_Sure, what does your car look like?"_

"Bright red Fiat 500. I've just passed a McDonalds and a Dunkin."

Arizona heard Callie giggle through the phone.  
"_It's the next left, and I'm standing outside. I really hope you're joking about the Fiat."_

The blonde rolled her eyes as she pulled into the street to find Callie standing, her cell being placed into her back pocket and her arms folded across her chest. She spoke as Arizona got out of the car.  
"You really drive one of those monstrosities?"

Arizona slapped Callie's arm playfully.  
"Hey, do not talk smack about Ruby."  
"Ruby?"  
"She's red."  
"You named it?"  
"Named _her_. What do you drive anyway?" She retaliated.

The surgeon smiled proudly, pointing to the vintage T-Bird that sat beside Arizona's beloved Ruby. The blonde nodded appreciatively.  
"Ok, that's awesome."  
"No it's not, it's badass." Callie stressed, leading them towards the café.  
"Come on, you'll love this place."

The building looked to be nothing special from the outside, but as Callie opened the door for Arizona, she stepped into what felt like another world. Strings of fairy lights hung from the windows, giving a soft glow to the interior. The walls were covered with mismatched paint and wallpaper, and a different lamp sat on each table.

A counter was set into the far wall, the daily specials written on a large blackboard behind. Callie led them to a table on one side of the room, a benched booth that had a slightly secluded feel to it.  
"You can pick off the menu here, or see what they have at the counter…or just as the older lady behind the counter, she'll pretty much make you anything."

Arizona smiled, absorbing the atmosphere as they took their seats.  
"This place is so cool. How did you find it?"

"My friend Addison, before she moved to LA, we had this thing about trying every café, bar, restaurant…you name it, in the city. We just totally fell in love with this one."  
"I can see why." Arizona agreed, scanning the vast menu.  
"Oh and this one is on me." Callie added. "To apologize for last night."

Arizona shook her head as she sat her menu down.  
"Calliope…you don't have to apologize. You needed someone and I was happy to be there, ok?"

The brunette blushed as she heard her full name roll off the blonde's tongue. She usually hated it, but at that moment she decided that Arizona could call her whatever she wanted.

"No, I didn't mean that. But thank you. I meant for ditching you at Joe's and letting you foot the bill. That wasn't fair."

"I really didn't mind. But ok." Arizona conceded, glancing at the menu again.  
"What do you recommend?"

"Their soup. I don't even care what kind it is. It's always amazing."

"How's their chilli?"  
"Not as good as mine, but pretty damn tasty." Callie replied, slipping her leather jacket from her shoulders.  
"Sounds like something I'll have to try for myself." Arizona smirked as she closed her menu.  
"Mine or theirs?"  
"Both." The blonde flashed a dimpled smile that nearly took Callie's breath away.  
"Do you like to cook?"

Arizona shook her head emphatically.  
"No. Years as a flight attendant has made me super lazy. My culinary talents include pouring cereal and boiling noodles. Can you cook?"

Callie laughed, closing her menu and setting it on top of the other.  
"Yeah, I'm pretty good, not that I get much time these days. I make a mean chilli, as well as chicken piccata, and I'm getting pretty good with fish too."

"Wow. Next date's at your place then." The words slipped from her mouth so easily that Arizona felt the color rising in her cheeks. Callie only smiled widely, seemingly in favor of the idea.

Moments later, a young waiter asked if he could take their orders. Deciding to share a bottle of sparkling water, Callie chose a soup and a sandwich while Arizona decided to sample their chilli. After all, she would need something to compare Callie's to.

* * *

Words and diagrams were blurring together in Callie's head. After her lunch date with Arizona she had elected to spend her evening studying for her boards, but she was finding it nearly impossible. Stress surrounding the merger was weighing heavily on everyone's minds, and it made concentrating difficult. Why study when she might be out of a job in a week?

There was also the issue of the super-hot blonde she had just had lunch with. She couldn't get those eyes out of her mind. Or her laugh. Or her dimples. Especially the dimples. As she thought of Arizona, she knew that she would be packing now. After quizzing her about her week, Callie had learned that this one would be a little hectic for the flight attendant.

Arizona was embarking on a five day trip, starting in New York, then going on to Paris for two nights, before coming back to Seattle via New York again. Callie was jealous. She would give anything for two days in Paris, but Arizona promised her it wasn't as appealing as it sounded.

Callie had assured her it was far more appealing than studying.

The loud vibration of her phone against the table startled Callie from her musings. Swiping her thumb across the screen, she smiled.

_Lunch today was awesome :) how goes the studying? A xx_

Her fingers ghosted over the phone, typing a quick response.

_I'm glad you agree. The studying is not so awesome. Definitely hitting a wall :( C xx_

Callie smiled, glad that the blonde had enjoyed their lunch date as much as she had. She didn't have to wait long for a reply.

_My packing is finished and I'm looking at spending a night in front of the TV. How about I come over and help you study? With pizza? A xx_

Nothing in the world sounded better to the surgeon than a gorgeous blonde and a large meat-feast pizza, so she quickly texted her response.

_Yes please. Come over whenever. You can be my patient. ;) C xx_

* * *

With a large meat-feast pizza balanced in one hand, and a six-pack of beer in the other, Arizona struggled slightly to press Callie's buzzer. Eventually managing it without sacrificing their dinner, she stood at the brunette's door, knocking twice.

A slightly disheveled Callie opened the door, a wide grin covering her face when she laid eyes on the beer and the pizza.  
"You're going to be a very bad study helper." She laughed, swiftly lifting the pizza from the blonde's struggling arms.

"Au contraire, Calliope. I'm an awesome study partner. I'm always super focused." She beamed, setting the beers down at the breakfast bar. Callie only raised an eyebrow in return, handing Arizona a bottle opener. As two tops were popped off, Callie motioned Arizona to the couch. The desk was littered with notepads, flashcards and books.

"Can I deal with the first part of your problem?" The blonde asked, settling herself on the couch with a slice of pizza. Callie nodded eagerly, taking one of the beers from Arizona.

The flight attendant smirked before pushing everything from the table onto the floor.  
"Hey!" Callie cried, watching as her notes tumbled to the floor. Arizona ignored her surprised outburst and swiftly grabbed the booklet containing the practice Board questions.

"There's way too much clutter. You need to clear your head, and your desk. You need to focus."

Callie sighed.  
"Our hospital is merging with another one."

A frown clouded Arizona's features.  
"Have they told you what that means for you?"

Callie shook her head as she took a large swig of beer.  
"Nope. But usually most personnel that are let go are nurses, interns and residents. The expendable ones."

"I hardly think you're expendable, Calliope. You're at the end of your residency, which means you're nearly a…" The blonde faltered.

"An attending." Yeah, so is everyone else in my year." She sighed, lifting a slice of pizza from the box.  
"Our chief won't even tell us what's happening, or who's going to go, so it's making focusing on anything a little difficult."

Nodding as she swallowed, Arizona spoke.  
"I get that. It's got to affect your focus, but you've got to try your hardest not to let it. They're probably going to keep the best residents, right? That means you've got to focus on being the best. Study, ace those boards, and be an awesome surgeon."

Callie smiled at Arizona's positivity.  
"You make it sound so easy."

The blonde shrugged.  
"I'm guessing it's not, but let's get down to it, ok?"

As she finished a slice, her eyes glanced over the questions on the page in front of her.

"_A 39yr old male suffering from FOP is admitted with severe pain in the abdomen and is coughing up blood. You suspect internal bleeding. How would you proceed?"_

"What's FOP?" Arizona asked.  
"Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva." Callie answered quickly, obviously familiar with the condition.  
"It causes tissue in the body to be turned into bone. The slightest knock or bump can trigger more bone growth. Pretty soon the people are statues. In this case, the patient has probably had previous treatment that has triggered the growth. Without treatment he'd slowly bleed to death, but any treatment, even minimally invasive procedures would be dangerous. I'd inject a catheter to drain the blood, it's as minimally invasive as you can be." Callie stopped her explanation to look at Arizona.  
"That's awful. It's fatal?"  
"Yes, usually by 40yrs old. I had a patient a few years ago, female, we tried the procedure but it didn't work so we had to open her up in an attempt to save her."  
"Which was completely counterproductive?" Arizona frowned.  
"Yeah." Callie nodded.  
"That's awful." Arizona repeated.

Callie nodded.  
"Thankfully it's very rare."

With a solemn smile, Arizona moved to the next question.

* * *

With the pizza long finished and most of the beer having disappeared, laughter and chat flowed freely as the flight attendant continued to help the surgeon study.

Arizona turned over a flashcard and presented a new assessment to Callie,

"Ok, a 27yr old female needs an examination after suffering a neck injury when falling from her motorbike." The blonde frowned. "Ouch."

Callie nodded in agreement.  
"Yeah, I'm not a fan of them either."

The brunette moved closer, holding both of her hands to Arizona's neck. A soft blush colored pale cheeks as she leaned into the touch.

Callie couldn't help but feel the soft skin on the blonde's neck and a strong, slightly fast pulse underneath her fingers.  
"Ok. I need test the range of motion in the neck, so first we'll try to bring it as far forward as possible."

Arizona moved forward, resting her hand on Callie's lap. With Callie's hands still cradling her neck, she leaned towards the surgeon's plump, waiting lips. Capturing them in a sweet, slow kiss, she smiled into it as she felt Callie reciprocate. Strong hands moved from her neck to her cheeks, cupping them in an inviting embrace as she leaned into the kiss. Cautiously curious lips caressed each other as tongues tempted entrance. An excitement and energy filled the space, palpable even as they pulled away.

"Wow." Arizona breathed. "I have to say, I like your bedside manner."

Callie chuckled, tucking a stray strand of blonde hair behind Arizona's ear.  
"Trust me, this is only the treatment that I give the cute ones."

Dimples appeared in Arizona's cheeks as she leaned instinctively towards Callie again. Lips met less hesitantly this time and tongues battled for dominance as Callie moaned softly.  
"You really are an awesome study partner." She smiled, speaking softly against the blonde's lips.  
"I'm glad you think so." Arizona replied, her hand moving from the back of Callie's neck and into her gorgeous dark hair.

The surgeon pouted as their lips parted again.  
"You'd better have Skype on your trip. I don't know if I can go a whole five days without seeing your face."

Arizona smiled, linking her fingers with Callie's.  
"New York will be fine, but the different time zones in Paris might be a little more interesting."

"We'll make time, right?" Callie asked. Aware that she could be moving too quickly, she looked to Arizona for reassurance. Blue eyes sparkled back in return.

"Definitely."

* * *

**I'd love to hear your thoughts - hit that little review button? **


	9. Chapter 9 A

**I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! In my defence, I've been doing 10-15 flights every week, and I'm super tired! Summer is kinda crazy in the aviation industry :P**

**This is the 1st part of chapter 9. I was going to wait until it was all finished, but I've made you all wait long enough, so the 2nd part will follow later. Enjoy!**

* * *

Previously:

_The surgeon pouted as their lips parted again.  
"You'd better have Skype on your trip. I don't know if I can go a whole five days without seeing your face."_

_Arizona smiled, linking her fingers with Callie's.  
"New York will be fine, but the different time zones in Paris might be a little more interesting." _

"_We'll make time, right?" Callie asked. Aware that she could be moving too quickly, she looked to Arizona for reassurance. Blue eyes sparkled back in return._

"_Definitely."  
_

**Chapter 9 A**

"All set?" Mark asked as he set his tray down in the cafeteria, taking a seat next to Callie and Bailey. He felt for them. With only a week before taking their medical boards they had the added pressure of the merger to contend with and it was clearly getting to both of them.

"Sure. I know everything I'm going to know. What I don't know is if it'll do a damn bit of good." Bailey huffed, pushing food around her plate as Callie sighed.  
"_You're_ safe, Bailey. You're the chief's favorite."

"I don't think anybody's safe." The short surgeon murmured, deciding that she'd had enough of her lunch before excusing herself to head back to work. Mark watched as Callie stabbed at her salad with her fork.  
"Do you want to come to mine tonight and study?" He offered.

"No."

"Do you want to have a Skype session with Blondie?" He smirked.

Callie shrugged as she popped the skewered food into her mouth.  
"Is it crazy for me to miss her already? I mean we've known each other…what, two weeks? Plus she's only been gone one night."

Arizona had called the minute she had landed in New York. Her flight had been delayed and they'd had some rather roudy passengers onboard, so after a very brief chat Callie had urged Arizona to turn in, with the promise that they would talk before her flight to Paris.

"You care about her. That's not crazy." Mark surmised, digging in to his sandwich.

"You don't think it's too soon? I mean we're not even officially dating. She's not my girlfriend."

"Do you want her to be?" the plastic surgeon asked.

Callie pondered the question as she swallowed her food. Wasn't it too soon to be having this discussion? All they'd done was kiss. But if there was a chance that Arizona was as interested in Callie as Callie was with her, why shouldn't they give it a shot?

The brunette was pulled from her thoughts by Mark chuckling. "You really care about her."

Callie pouted, stabbing him playfully with her plastic fork. She hated how well her knew her.

* * *

"Why do I get the feeling you'd rather be Skyping Callie than me?" Teddy chuckled. The pilot had just returned home from a three-day trip to South America and was catching up with Arizona before her flight to Paris.

Arizona had the decency to at least look incredulous as she smiled widely.

"Is it obvious that I miss her that much?"

Teddy nodded, moving her laptop onto her lap as she crossed her legs on the couch. "Well since you've not shut up about her in the last 10 minutes and you've got the happiest smile on your face, I'm going to say yes, it's very obvious." Teddy teased. In reality she was over the moon for her best friend. Arizona deserved someone who would treat her better than Joanne had and she was excited to meet Callie.

Arizona sighed as she combed through her wet hair.

"I don't know Teds. I like her._ A lot_. Probably too much. What if I scare her off?"

"Too much?" Teddy pressed.

"Yeah, I mean we've known each other a few weeks and already I can't stop thinking about her. I know that would freak me out."

Teddy smiled.

"Or maybe she likes you just as much as you already like her."

The flight attendant laughed.

"Please, I'm not that lucky."

* * *

Callie cursed as she glanced at her watch. She'd told Arizona she would call earlier but a 911 had emerged and just hoped that Arizona would understand. Closing the door to the residents lounge, Callie opened her laptop and noticed a missed Skype call from the blonde. Sighing, she tried to call her again, praying that she was still there. After a minute or so passed, the video connected and she was met with Arizona in her full uniform, her hair perfectly sculpted and her makeup perfectly applied. She was fixing her pearl studs to her earlobes.

"Hey stranger." She smiled.

"Hey, emergency surgery, I'm sorry. How long do you have?"

Arizona pouted.

"My ride arrives in 10 minutes."

The surgeon sighed.  
"I'm sorry. Stupid patient."

Arizona laughed, settling herself on the chair on her room.  
"Did they at least survive?"

"Oh yeah, I rocked it." Callie smiled proudly. "You look amazing by the way."

She watched as Arizona blushed.  
"In this?"

"Well in everything, but yeah, that uniform is hot." She glanced down at her work attire.  
"Much hotter than scrubs!"

Arizona smirked.  
"I don't know; there's something sexy about scrubs on you. That's probably got more to do with you than the scrubs though."

The blonde watched as the surgeon's face brightened.  
"How is your studying going?"

Callie's face dropped again as she shook her head.  
"It's fine, but Bailey's right, we know we know everything we need to know, we just _don't_ know if it'll do us any good."

"I get that. It must be hard. Do you know where your Boards will be yet?"

Callie nodded.  
"Yeah, Chicago. They're sorting out our flights now."

Arizona smiled. After returning from this trip, she was scheduled for one overnight to Chicago, and she had a feeling that their dates would line up nicely, for once, but she didn't want to tell the brunette in case things were changed last minute.

Callie pouted as Arizona's phone buzzed.  
"Time to go?"

Arizona nodded, swiftly answering her phone and telling the driver she would be a few minutes. After tossing the phone down, she sighed.  
"I'll call you when I get to Paris."

Callie smiled softly.  
"Please do. I…I miss you."

She watched over the webcam as blue eyes widened and dimples popped on the blonde's cheeks.  
"I miss you too."

Callie beamed. She was glad that she'd said it now, knowing that Arizona felt the same way. The next few days away from the blonde were going to be hard.  
"I'll let you go. Have a safe flight, ok?"

Arizona nodded.  
"I will. Go home and get some sleep. And study and be awesome. I'll try to talk to you from Paris, ok?"

* * *

When Arizona awoke the next morning she had a message from Callie.

_Hey beautiful, thanks for letting me know you got to Paris safely; I hope your flight was ok. These Boards might be the death of me! Finally crashing in an on-call room now. _

_Enjoy Paris!_

_C x_

Arizona smiled before typing a quick reply. She had agreed to spend the day sight-seeing with Meredith as it was her first time in Paris, so she was sure that she would be sending a ton of pictures Callie's way.

After ordering room service, Arizona decided to jump into the shower. When she was finished, she heard a loud and persistent knocking at her door. Opening it expecting her breakfast, she pouted when she realized it was only Meredith.

"Don't look so disappointed!" Meredith grinned, holding out a box.  
"I come with croissants. I've been awake since 6am so I went in search of coffee and found these."

Arizona chuckled, letting the younger flight attendant into her room.  
"And yet you don't come bearing coffee for your boss. I'll remember this, Grey."

"Please, you don't need coffee, you're perky enough without it." Meredith winked, plopping herself down on one of the chairs by the window.  
"I'm in love with this city already and all I've seen is the view from the windows."

Arizona nodded, taking a croissant from the box and biting down into the soft and flaky pastry.  
"You'll be even more in love once we get out there. Why do you think I get so excited when I see this on my roster?" Arizona grinned, jumping from the bed as she heard a much quieter knock at her door.

"Voici votre petit déjeuner." The gentleman spoke as Arizona allowed him to wheel the cart into the room.

"Oh merci, ça sent incroyable!" She thanked him, waving as he closed the door.

Meredith shot Arizona a glance as she poured them both some coffee. She'd heard the Purser speaking in French on their flight yesterday but hadn't had a chance to question her.  
"Since when do you speak French?"

"Since I was little, my dad was a marine so we've been stationed all over the place. We were stationed in the south of France for nearly two years." She explained.

Meredith smirked.  
"That's neat. You going to use that to get into Callie's pants?"

The blonde nearly choked on her much-awaited beverage.  
"Oh my God, Mer, really?!"

* * *

**__I hope you're all still with me! Let me know by hitting that review button :) [I aced French at school, but I'm probably rusty now, so apologies if I just butchered it :P]**


	10. Chapter 9B

**Sorry it took longer than expected, I DID get a new laptop, so I'm a little surprised that this chapter didn't actually take longer! Thank you all for sticking with this.**

**Let's see how our gals are doing, shall we?**

Previously

_"Since when do you speak French?"_

_"Since I was little, my dad was a marine so we've been stationed all over the place. We were stationed in the south of France for nearly two years." She explained._

_Meredith smirked._

_"That's neat. You going to use that to get into Callie's pants?"_

_The blonde nearly choked on her much-awaited beverage. _

_"Oh my God, Mer, really?!"_

* * *

Chapter 9B

Meredith and Arizona's forty-eight hours in Paris passed in a blur; mostly filled with sightseeing as Meredith had never been before, but Arizona was more than happy to soak in the rich culture of the city time and time again. She snapped many panoramic pictures from the top of the Eifel Tower, as well as posing outside of the Louvre – each photograph she emailed to Callie in the hopes of lifting her spirits in spite of the surgeon's impending boards.

"I really want to tell Callie about next weekend." Arizona mused as she strolled along the Seine with her younger colleague.

"You know if you tell them they'll end up changing you." Meredith rolled her eyes. It happened often; the minute flight attendants made plans in a particular city, they would often find their rosters changed the next week only to find that flight removed.

Arizona groaned.  
"I know, but she's so stressed and it's killing me not to be able to tell her. Our rosters are fixed for the week when we arrive in New York, so I guess I could wait until then." She sighed, taking a sip of her bottled water.

"Or even better, you could surprise her when we get back to Seattle, like not call her and then just show up at her door and tell her. She'll probably be _very_ happy." Meredith smirked, nudging Arizona's arm.  
"Oh my God, is sex all you think about?"

"Not all of the time." Meredith defended, taking another swig from her cola can.

"Just most?" Arizona laughed, receiving a swat on the arm from Meredith.

* * *

Callie paced anxiously outside Chief Webber's office. He'd paged her for a meeting and the surgeon couldn't help but think that bad news was coming her way. Whispered rumors that Bailey was safe made Callie happy for her friend, but even more anxious about the prospects of her own job.

Suddenly, the heavy oak door swung open and a surgeon Callie barely recognized left, puffy eyed and crying. Callie felt like throwing up.

"Torres." Webber smiled, his demeanor completely betraying that of the chief who had just crushed a young doctor's dreams. He welcomed her to take a seat, then rounded his desk and sat himself, clasping his hands together.  
"How are you doing, Torres?"

Callie blinked, unsure of how exactly to respond to the chief's question. If she told him she was losing sleep over her boards, would he think she wasn't up to handling a position as an orthopedic attending?

"Uh, fine, sir. Just busy, I suppose." Callie answered truthfully.

Webber chuckled.  
"I can imagine, Torres. Less than a week until your Boards? I don't think I slept a month beforehand!"

The brunette breathed a sigh of relief.  
"So it's not just me then?"

"Are you kidding? Worst week of my career." Webber confessed, smiling understandingly.

"I suppose you're wondering why I paged you in the middle of all of this." He surmised.

Callie laughed nervously, nodding.

"Well, an old colleague and good friend of mine will be an examiner at your Boards. I've told him a lot about you and he's very impressed. Torres, I have a lot of interest in Dr. Chang's department, but if you can wow my old friend, I'd say you're a shoe-in for attending here next year."

Those hadn't exactly been the words Callie had been expecting to hear, and the shock rendered her silent for a long moment.  
"I know it's a lot to absorb, but you're still my top pick for this position. I need someone who isn't scared to take charge and make a change and innovate. That's what you've been doing since you got here. That student that you arrogantly promised would walk?"

Callie grimaced. Webber had promised that if he didn't her career would begin and end there. Thankfully the months of work had been a success, but now, there was another hurdle in her way.

"So let me get this straight…I ace my boards and I'm and attending here. I crash and burn and I'll be serving Slushies in the cafeteria." She concluded.

Webber chuckled, a friendly smile on his face.  
"I have every faith in you, Torres. Good luck."

* * *

"That's awesome! You should be celebrating!" Mark exclaimed, handing Callie her cup of coffee from the cart outside. She sighed, tossing some sugar into the beverage and stirring it thoughtfully.  
"Yeah, awesome if I pass! I'm going to crash and burn, Mark. I can feel it." She grumbled, only somewhat calmed when the hot liquid met her lips.

"You know what you need?" Mark winked, taking a sip of his own coffee.

Callie chuckled.  
"Thank you, Mark, for the offer, but I'm good."

"You're sure? It'll help you de-stress. You know how good I am at helping you to de-stress." He smiled, pinching her side lightly. Callie swatted his hand away and laughed.  
"_This_ has helped, Mark. You're good for more than sex you know." She nudged his arm supportively before making her way back into the building.

"Where are you going?"  
"To study! I have a test's ass to kick."

* * *

Setting her crew bag at the door of her hotel room, Arizona nearly moaned in pleasure as she slipped out of her high heels. Glamorous, but painful when worn for an entire day. She glanced around her New York suite, happy to be back on American soil. As beautiful and as romantic as Paris was, their hotels could be a nightmare. She'd once had to convince a check-in agent that she and Teddy were in fact not a couple and would require separate rooms. They'd had to settle just for separate beds.

After enjoying a long and luxurious shower, Arizona donned the hotel's robe and hopped onto her king-size bed to check her messages. She smiled when she realized that she had one from Callie.

_Hey pretty lady,  
I'm not sure when your plane lands, I suck at this time difference thing, but call me when you can, I have some news! _

_Miss you,_

_Callie x_

Arizona quickly checked her watch, deciding it was still early enough to call Callie. She hit 'call' and waited to connect.

"Hello!" Callie sounded very happy to hear from her, a fact that made Arizona smile.

"Hey, how are you? I just got to my hotel in New York."

"I'm ok, how was your flight?"

"Long. Good, but long!" She smiled, realizing how much she'd missed talking to Callie after only a few days.  
"You said you had news?"

"Oh yeah!" She bit her lip to keep from smiling at how totally adorable Callie sounded when she was excited.

"So the chief called me into his office today."

"Yikes."

"Yeah, but he's a sweetheart. Well, most of the time. Anyway he said an old friend of his will be an examiner at my Boards, and if I impress him, the attending position at Seattle Grace is mine!"

"Oh my God, Callie that's awesome! Of course you'll impress him, you're very impressive." The blonde smiled, making the surgeon laugh.

"Well, I hope he thinks so. I mean, this is good news, but - "

" – but even more stress for you. I get that."

Callie sighed.  
"Yeah. Gosh I just want this week to be over, and then I'll just know one way or another. When is your flight back to Seattle?"

"Tomorrow evening. I know you're going to be crazy busy, but maybe we could meet up for a coffee or something? My treat, to help you chill before the madness." Arizona chewed on her lip, anxiously awaiting the brunette's answer. She had just checked her roster, and now it was confirmed that she and Callie would be in Chicago at the same time.

"Yeah, that sounds great. Really great. I've missed you." Callie admitted.

Arizona grinned.  
"I've missed you too. I'll have a surprise for you when I see you, ok?"

Callie raised her brows.  
"It's not one of those tacky Eiffel Tower key-rings, is it?"

The blonde laughed.  
"No, no. This is much better, I promise."

* * *

The following evening, Callie let herself into an empty apartment. She had crossed paths with Cristina briefly between surgeries, and knew the cardio-hungry surgeon would be home late. Callie had been paged in at 4am and was officially wiped. Tossing her bag onto the floor, she yawned, peeling off her leather jacket and tossing it over the couch as she rounded it to sit. Her stomach growled impatiently, but Callie knew there was nothing of value in the fridge. She hadn't been shopping in weeks, and the only thing Cristina managed to stock the apartment with was liquor. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she quickly scrolled through her contacts and called the nearest Chinese restaurant and placed her order of lemon chicken, prawn toast and duck spring rolls. She figured some of it could be shoved into their bare fridge for the morning.

Callie felt gross. Knowing it would be a while before her food arrived, she set a wine glass in the fridge to chill and made her way to the shower. As she lathered product into her hair, she reflected on the barrage of possible scenarios that could be thrown her way at the Boards; she would be nothing but prepared for all of them. Lumbar spinal fusion. Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Bone grafting. Facial reconstruction. Laminectomy. Carpal tunnel release.

The surgeon felt much more relaxed and fresh as she stepped into the bedroom, quickly pulling on a pair of sweats and a black t-shirt. She almost squealed when she heard the knock at the front door. Taking her glass from the fridge, she set it on the counter in preparation before making her way to the door with her wallet.

Callie gasped as she swung open the door. Instead of the friendly little Chinese man stood a gorgeous blonde flight attendant, wearing a smile that Callie could only describe as magical. She frowned in confusion.

"You're not my spring rolls…"

Arizona laughed, and the sound was music to Callie's ears.

"Surprise! Can I come in anyway?"

* * *

**Let me know what you think? **


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Sorry about the wait again, like always, work is rather hectic.**

**A little side note, my lovely readers; one of my favourite authors has recently decided to take a break from writing, because although she has tons of followers, not enough people seem to be reviewing her work. Reviews are not my MAIN motivation, but they're a pretty awesome way to thank an author for working so hard on something you enjoy. I'm not just saying this for my own stories, but for the work of other authors you like too! Take a moment to hit that button and leave us all some love, even as a guest. Every review is appreciated.**

**Ok, enough babbling. Callie has her Boards to get through. Deep breaths!**

* * *

_Previously:_

_Callie gasped as she swung open the door. Instead of the friendly little Chinese man stood a gorgeous blonde flight attendant, wearing a smile that Callie could only describe as magical. She frowned in confusion._

_"You're not my spring rolls…"_

_Arizona laughed, and the sound was music to Callie's ears._

_"Surprise! Can I come in anyway?"_

* * *

**Chapter 10**

The hotel corridor looked just like any other hotel corridor. Long and straight, the rooms situated on either side with a smattering of paintings along the walls and some potted plants in the corner. An unassuming hallway, but one that stood between Callie Torres and the dream that she had been working towards since beginning her internship. Other doctors, equally as talented and as nervous sat alongside her, fidgeting in their seats or whispering quietly to themselves as one by one their names were called.

"Calliope Torres."

The man looked nice enough as he extended his hand for her to shake, as did his female colleague as she gestured Callie to her seat. They explained the structure of the examination. Three thirty minute sessions. No retracting answers. No knowledge of if each individual session has been passed. No way to know if she had passed or failed until midnight.

"You will be assessed on your ability to interpret, diagnose, plan treatment and outcomes and apply your knowledge. We will also take into account surgical flexibility, handling of complications, ethics and professionalism. Are you ready to begin?"

* * *

_Callie grinned again as she watched Arizona taking a bite of their now shared Chinese food.  
"I can't believe you're here." _

"_You're happy about it?"  
"Of course! I just didn't expect to see you until tomorrow, but you're a welcome surprise." Callie explained, taking another sip of her wine. _

_The blonde grinned as she finished off a spring roll._

_She hadn't anticipated missing Callie as much as she had, and she hoped the surgeon felt the same._

_Callie leaned closer, their faces now only inches apart.  
"So how was Paris?" She grinned, pushing a lock of Arizona's hair behind her ear._

_The flight attendant grinned, her lips grazing gently against Callie's.  
"Romantic."_

* * *

"Would you stop calling me?"

"I can't help it, I'm freaking out here!"

"You're not the one taking the damn test!"

"That's not making it any easier, Teds. She's in there, right now, with those meanie surgeon people grilling her, and I have no idea how she's doing."

"Meanie surgeons?"

"Shut up. Do you think I should text her?"

"I think you should let me go to sleep. I've got a flight in the morning and you don't want me to fall asleep and crash into a mountain, do you?" Teddy yawned, too tired to listen to Arizona's nervous ranting.

"You're so melodramatic. And no help. Fine, sleep, don't crash planes." Arizona huffed.

Teddy laughed tiredly.  
"Bye. Text her."

Arizona sighed as she threw her phone back onto the bed. She didn't want to risk texting Callie, afraid that perhaps she had forgotten to switch it off and then she'd fail.

Arizona was in for a long wait.

* * *

_Callie leaned into Arizona as she cradled her wine glass in her hand._

_"You said you had some exciting news to tell me."_

_Arizona smiled.  
"Oh yeah…I do."_

"_Well…"_

"_I'll be staying on American soil this week."  
"What? No more Paris? Prague? Greece? That doesn't sound too exciting if you ask me." Callie smirked, stealing a kiss from pink pouting lips._

"_It will be when you ask me where I'm going." Arizona promised._

"_Ok, where are you going?"_

"_Chicago."_

_Callie's face blanked, and her brows scrunched._

"_That's where I'm going."_

_Arizona nodded._

_"We're flying with Éclat."_

_The blonde nodded again as comprehension suddenly enveloped Callie's features._

"_Oh my God, together?!"_

_Arizona laughed, kissing Callie's smiling lips.  
"Yes! God you're adorable when you're slow." _

_Callie reciprocated, leaning into the kiss as she felt the blonde smile back against her lips.  
"That will really chill me out, knowing you're there."_

_Arizona beamed.  
"I'm glad."_

* * *

Callie took a deep breath as she waited for the water to run cold. The first session was over, but any indication as to how she'd done was not afforded to her. Satisfied that the water was cold enough, she held the pulse-point of her wrist under the water. It was something she'd learned in Botswana. It cooled her flushed skin instantly.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph!"

Callie spun, relieved to see Miranda Bailey was the one to join her.  
"Oh God, how's yours going?"

"The woman is a fossil, Torres. A fossil! I opted for a laparoscopic bowel repair and she nearly fainted. Oh God I'm going to fail!"

Callie chuckled, drying her hands before placing them on the shorter woman's shoulders.  
"You're not. You're Miranda Bailey. You're going to kick ass. You _are_ kicking ass. If she's too much of a fossil to realize that then it's not your problem."

The short surgeon sighed, taking a deep breath.  
"You're right, Torres. I just have to show them what I've got." She smiled tightly.  
"How're you doing?"

Callie shrugged, folding her arms across her chest.  
"My guy seems nice enough but the woman is mean. She keeps just raising her brow whenever I explain my treatment plans. It's driving me crazy!"

Miranda nodded in agreement.  
"Well, it's all gonna be over in a few hours, and then it's out of our hands."

* * *

"_You seem way too excited about getting on a plane so early." Miranda huffed as Callie dragged her through SeaTac airport.  
"What can I say, I just want to get going." Callie smiled. Miranda looked at the ortho surgeon suspiciously.  
"Oh and this wouldn't have anything to do with a certain flight attendant that you've been getting freaky with?"_

_Callie swatted Bailey's arm.  
"We've not gotten that far. Yet."  
"But she'll be on the plane? I'll be looking for an air marshal to break you two up if you disappear into the bathroom together!"_

_Callie laughed.  
"She'll be working, Miranda. I'll just get to look."_

_Bailey rolled her eyes.  
"So I have to sit next to you and watch you make goo-goo eyes at Tucson for the whole flight?"_

_This time, Callie swatted Bailey's arm just a little harder.  
"_Arizona_. And yes, you will. Now come on. She just text me saying we'll be at gate 25."_

* * *

"A fifteen year old male is transferred to your care with osteosarcoma of the right tibia. Scans show that the tumor has invaded the healthy surrounding tissue in the leg, however the boy is a keen and talented ballerina. How would you proceed?"

Callie paused, aware that this particular question was delicate and that her examiners would be looking at skills in patient and family management, as well as taking into account the aspirations of the patient. _A rotationplasty? Fibular grafting?  
_"The fibula?" She enquired.  
"Also showing evidence of cancer cells."

Damn.

"I would remove the infected bone and replace it with a cadaver bone."

"A match could not be found within the time frame."

"In that case I would remove the infected area of bone, treat it with high doses of radiation, then insert the bone back into the leg."

The female examiner looked practically white at this suggestion.  
"And risk putting cancer back into the body when there is no evidence that it has spread anywhere other than the leg?"

"Yes. It's riskier I know, but given the patient's career aspirations, amputation and a prosthetic would never give the same range and fluidity of movement, and since a cadaver bone is not an option in this case, I would recommend the patient and his parents to allow the procedure of placing his own bone back into his leg, and monitor the patient with scans every three months. If it returns, I would opt for amputation."

Both examiners glanced at each other, then at their clipboards, before speaking.

"Next scenario."

* * *

_A knock at her door interrupted Callie from her last minute studying. Tossing her pen onto the desk, she made her way to the door and used the peephole. Arizona._

_Smiling widely, the resident opened the door to find a more casually dressed flight attendant, now in leggings and a long sweater. Giving her the once over, Callie's smile quickly turned into a pout.  
"I liked your earlier outfit."_

_Arizona laughed, letting herself in.  
"I thought you might, but shirts, skirts and pantyhose are not that comfortable Calliope."_

"_Yeah, yeah." Callie smiled, pecking the blonde's lips in greeting._

"_I thought maybe you'd like to join me for dinner…?" Arizona offered, glancing at Callie's very busy looking desk._

_The surgeon followed the gaze of the blue eyes before making a face.  
"I'd love to…I just, I really need to go over some last minute scenarios."_

_The blonde nodded in understanding. She remembered the last night before her aviation exams. Whilst not such a life and death job, last minute exam stress looked the same on everyone.  
"Well you need to eat something. Do you want me to order room service or just run across to the Burger King on the corner?"_

_Callie smiled appreciatively, handing Arizona her room key.  
"Burger King sounds amazing. Get me the biggest cheeeburger they have!"_

_Arizona returned a short time later to find Callie once again engrossed in her study material.  
"Hey pretty lady…I have the biggest burger in the world for you. If you want I can just leave it on the desk and get out of your hair?" Arizona asked, placing a hand on Callie's back._

_Callie turned, smiling at Arizona.  
"No! No you can stay, I don't mind. As long as you'll ask me some of these questions?"_

_Arizona nodded, taking a seat on the bed and looking over the study questions as Callie began to devour her cheeseburger._

"_Ok, 58yr old male with open fracture of the ulna…"_

* * *

"Well, that concludes our sessions, Dr. Torres. As I'm sure you're aware, we can't inform you of your results, but they will be emailed to you at midnight. Thank you for you time." The man stood first, with Callie and the female examiner doing the same.

"Thank you both." Callie smiled, pushing her nerves to the bottom of her stomach as she shook the hands of both examiners again before she was shown the door. In the long corridor again, a sense of relief descended over her. It was done. Finished. She had done everything she could and the results were now out of her hands.

She walked on shaky legs towards the elevator that would take her back to her room before taking her phone out of her purse. She scrolled through her recent calls to Arizona's number, but then smiled, deciding against the call. Instead of hitting floor 12, she hit 14 and waited as the elevator descended.

She made her way down the hall to the flight attendant's room and knocked on the door, only waiting a few moments before the door was opened just a crack. A blue eye peeked through the crack before the door opened fully.  
"Hey! How did it go?"

Callie giggled, taking in the sight before her. The blonde had her hair loosely tied back and was wearing her pajama shorts, a sweatshirt, and on her face was a mint-green facemask.

"Am I interrupting something?" She smiled, stepping in and carefully kissing the blonde's lips. Arizona smirked, nudging her nose forward and bumping it against Callie's, transferring the still-wet mask onto the surgeon's nose.  
"Hey!"

"No, I was just relaxing. So how did it go? Do you think you've passed? I mean I know you've passed, but when do you find out?"

Callie smiled tiredly, rubbing the green goop from her nose.  
"They'll email me at midnight."

"Well, let's do something tonight, just have dinner or something and take your mind off it until you find out. What do you think?" Arizona offered. She had a little surprise up her sleeve for the stressed-out resident.

"That sounds amazing. I think I'm going to go soak in my tub for a while. When do you want me to be ready for?"

"Is 7pm ok?" Arizona asked.

"Perfect."

* * *

There was a knock at her room door as Callie finished off applying her lip-gloss. Running a hand through her hair, she made her way to the door, and was rendered rather speechless at the sight of her date.

Arizona's hair was pinned up, and small tendrils framed her face. She wore a tight, navy blue cotton dress that stopped just above her knees.  
"Wow…"

The blonde grinned as she eyed Callie. After her lengthy soak, Callie had slipped into a black skirt and fitted red blouse.  
"I could say the same thing. You look amazing." Arizona grinned, reaching for Callie's hand.  
The brunette took it, letting Arizona lead her down the hall.  
"Where are we going?"

"Not far." Arizona smirked, leading Callie towards the elevator. The surgeon watched as the blonde pressed the button for the lobby, and followed her as she left the hotel. She didn't have to look far, as a small restaurant came into view at the end of the street. Arizona held the door open for Callie and as they stepped in, the smells made Callie's mouth water. The place was small and cozy, and also empty.

"The owner is the wife of one of our pilots at Éclat. I called in a favor, so we've got the place to ourselves." The flight attendant explained.

"Wow, you're serious?"

"Yeah." She blonde smiled as she and Callie took a seat.  
"It's beautiful." Callie smiled, thanking the waiter as he handed them both menus.

"This is where I always come to eat when I stay in Chicago."

Callie began to browse the menu, but to be honest everything sounded amazing.  
"I think I could eat everything on here. What's best?"

"The risotto is to die for. So is the beef bourguignon. Those are my two go to when I'm stuck."

They decided on the beef and the risotto, and a bottle of Pino Gregio recommended by the waiter. Wine and conversation flowed as they waited for their food.

"Did you always know you were gay?" Callie asked curiously.

Arizona chucked.  
"Oh yeah. Ever since I became aware of Cindy Crawford's existence I _knew".  
_"When did you realize you liked women?"

Callie sighed softly.  
"Honestly, only last year. And it wasn't women. It was one woman. And one guy from work as well. Then experimentation with some other women…and then my friend again…I was pretty confused."

Arizona reached her hand towards Callie's and took it in her own.  
"It's ok to like both, you know that, right?"

Callie nodded, squeezing Arizona's hand in response.  
"Yeah, it took me a while, but I know that now."

"Does your family know?"

The brunette chuckled bitterly.  
"Yeah, I had a momentary lapse in judgment recent and decided to tell them. They're Catholic. Let's just say I'm going to hell."

"Seriously?"  
Callie nodded.  
"I'd just been to visit them when I met you. That's why I was so upset on the plane. Who the hell else orders wine that early in the day?"

Arizona's heart went out to Callie. She'd been lucky enough to have very understanding parents.  
"They'll come round. They just need some time."

Callie sighed. She wasn't as sure as Arizona.  
"Who was the first person you came out to?"

The blonde stayed silent for a few moments, before a soft smile spread across her face.  
"My brother."

"Are you two close?"

A familiar lump formed in Arizona's throat and tears misted her vision.

"Best friends. Growing up together and always getting moved around meant that we usually only had each other. But he uh…he was killed in Iraq four years ago."

Callie tightened her hold of Arizona's hand as tears quickly sprung to her own eyes. She wasn't particularly close to her sister, but if anything were to happen to her…

"Sweetie I am so, so sorry. I can't imagine what that must have been like."

Arizona nodded, squeezing Callie's hand and offering a watery smile.  
"It wasn't the best time of my life, that's for sure. I think I lived on tequila, donuts and denial for three solid months."

As their food arrived, they reluctantly dropped their hands.  
"Wow, I didn't realize how hungry I was until now." Arizona smiled, taking a bite. She glanced at Callie, who was still holding her fork above her plate.

"Calliope?"

"I hate the thought of you being alone. Especially when something like that happened…"

Arizona frowned in confusion.  
"That was a long time ago now, Calliope."

"I know, I just…I hate the thought. You're so sweet, and caring and just…_awesome._ And I don't want to just be someone who dates you. I want to be with you."

Arizona grinned as she watched Callie's face change from certainty to shock.  
"Ok I'm not sure where all of that came from."

"Funny…that's why I wanted to bring you here tonight. You're incredible, Calliope. You're so giving, and thoughtful, and I don't want to be someone who just dates you either. You kind of stole my thunder." She pouted.

Callie's smile widened with every word Arizona said.  
"You mean you want to be my girlfriend?"

The blonde nodded.  
"You don't think it's too soon?" She asked nervously.  
"I mean we haven't even…" She trailed off as Callie grinned wickedly.  
"There's plenty of time for that. Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes."

* * *

**Let me know what you think! Did she pass...?**


End file.
